Advertisement for Palmolive Soap: "Cleopatra's Vision"
The Palmolive Soap company, founded by the B.J. Johnson Corporation in 1898 and originating in Milwaukee, Wisconsin became a household name from an advertising campaign promoting their products as something that would have been favored by the pharaohs for their quality. Being that the soap was made of coconut, palm and olive oils, truly quality goods at the time, it was no surprise that the company would advertise and promote their goods to those who could afford them, that being the white, upper-class society of America.
At the time, “Egypt Mania” was in full boom with post-Victorian revivals of Egyptian design becoming prominent in the mainstream consumer culture. The Palmolive Soap company decided to then market and contribute to this fad through a series of Egypt-inspired advertisements via typography and visual language to sell an idea and lifestyle of luxury. Archeological discoveries, and thefts, were in the headlines pretty consistently at this time, with the discovery of Cleopatra, the most well known pharaoh at the time, and King Tut not being discovered until 1922. These figures, primarily Cleopatra, were used to entice consumers to purchase goods and be inclined to sit and relax on the chaise with her, welcoming them to her life of gloriousness.
For this specific advertisement, a typeface supposed to resemble Roman type can be seen with the attempt to emulate the regality of the roman empire. This positions the company with the consumer base of those who know and understand the power of the empire, aligning themselves with status and quality of goods that only they could deserve. Simply the title of “Cleopatra’s Vision” positions the reader as being welcomed into an elite idea. Upon further reading the advertisement, the statement “...the great cleansing agents were only attainable in their crude natural state.” positions the action of cleansing oneself with anything other than Palmolive, and the ingredients of the soap itself, will leave anyone else as dirty and unfulfilled. Even the visual language of what is being depicted is one of class and racial division. Cleopatra is depicted as a white woman surrounded by darker skinned men, catering to her every need as they provide her with air from their fans or conjure the Palmolive treatment for her to apply onto her skin.
